


The Making of a Mandalorian

by SecretlyAnonymous



Series: ARscbpsup [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Implied Child Abuse, Kidnapping, OCs - Freeform, Slavery, implied rexsoka, multiple OCs - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27868773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecretlyAnonymous/pseuds/SecretlyAnonymous
Summary: Maul's life hasn't been great so far. That's about to change, but not without faltering a few times.
Relationships: Ahsoka Tano & Darth Maul & CT-7567 | Rex & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: ARscbpsup [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1806274
Comments: 5
Kudos: 62





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, Maul's been raised by Darth Sidious. Nothing explicit, but that's not gonna be a good life for him. This is four chapters long but only chapters 1-3 have been written so far.
> 
> Follows directly after "Finding Paths."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall I do not know how old Maul is and if he has a canonical birthdate/age I did Not look it up. In this fic, he is 11 (2 years younger than Obi-Wan) bc vibes

Ahsoka stood in the shuttle nervously. Below them, Mustafar burned. It burned like there had never been life on it. Rex shot her a reassuring look and she took a calming breath. She had her lightsabers, bright white, reminding her of what she’d accomplished in the past against sith.

Still.

She knew she could defeat a grown Maul, somewhere around Obi-Wan’s age. A teenage version of him, who may not yet be very skilled or traumatized, would be a piece of cake.

No, her anxiety stemmed from the version of the situation that would occur if Palpatine got his hands on her. 

Obi-Wan and Rex had orders to flee if she didn’t return after a single day. They hadn’t stayed in one place for longer than a day and it would be strange if they suddenly did.

They’d lucked out and come across a hyperdrive they could outfit into the shuttle, so there was backup plan after backup plan installed into the main plan if something went wrong.

But, if Palpatine got his hands on her? She would be done for, target practice for Maul at best. Her secrets would be ripped from her mind and Palpatine would  _ know _ .

She knew the risk of this mission. 

Palpatine likely wouldn’t be there. He was busy on Naboo or in the senate or wherever, trying to consolidate power. He wouldn’t be there. More likely, there was a nanny-droid or trainer, running Maul through whatever his homework was. Either one, Ahsoka could confound. With luck and a little bit of Force, she could make it impossible for Palpatine to know what had happened to his apprentice.

The ship’s descent halted. Ahsoka held it there, keeping the noxious fumes out of the engines just in case, and reached out. The Force guided her to a small, decrepit looking building. It wasn’t.

A bit of applied pressure and there was no proof she was ever there. Some of the more traditionalist Jedi would sneer at her use of the Force. Anakin would shoot her a thumbs up while Master Kenobi pretended, in the background, like he wasn’t also proud.

She smiled nostalgically.

Creeping out of the ship was easier than she expected. No one, it seemed, had noticed the broken security equipment yet. Getting inside was harder. The air alone blistered, and her throat and lungs were raw after only a few breaths. Living here had to be hell.

A large vent opening was her way in. The intake had to be large, she assumed, to filter out enough usable air. She moved slowly, all senses open to the smallest change. 

She stayed out of sight of droids, and any living beings - of which there were few - were easily persuaded away. The first time she managed to avoid getting caught, she breathed a sigh of relief that the most Palpatine would be able to determine was that a force-sensitive had been there.. The air no longer tore at her lungs, but it still stung and smelled terrible. 

The building had no directions and the layout was deliberately designed to confuse. Ahsoka had been in worse. 

One particularly intimidating individual started down the hallway she was in. She ducked behind a bar and sent a wave of distraction over to them. They never looked in her direction. 

She found Maul in a hallway. He was shirtless and sweating, his lightsaber out but off. She placed him around the age of eleven. He stopped before she could make her presence known. 

Impressive. None of the sith acolytes she’s met could detect her presence. This… wasn’t good for her. 

Instead of debating it any longer, she stepped out of her hiding spot - behind another pillar. 

“Who are you,” Maul said warily. Ahsoka wondered if he could remember a friendly touch.

“Fulcrum,” she decided. If she failed, her name would  _ not _ get back to Palpatine.

“Why are you here?”

“To take you away.”

Maul didn’t visibly startle, but his shields were not the best, flimsy in many places. Not the mental shields put up by children who’d grown up surrounded by the Force. Maul radiated pain and anger, not all of it his own.

Ahsoka decided to take a risk, stepping closer. If she could turn a sith’s kyber to the light, she could turn this child. “What do you remember of life before your master took you?”

“Not much, why?”

She reached out, not just opening herself to the Force and to others, but pushing herself out. For all that Maul’s shields let his emotions out, they were strong against incomers. She kept herself small, quiet, nonthreatening. “Do you have any happy memories?”

She doubted it. He had to have been taken away at a young age. She dredged up her own memories, laughing in the creche, her masters’ pride, and let them wash out. “Do you remember having friends? Family?”

Maul’s eyes narrowed. “No, I’ve no need for such weaknesses.”

His lightsaber ignited and he flew at her.

Her own sabers were up before she consciously registered anything. Maul was slower than last time they faced off. He was clumsier. His saber didn’t fit him. 

She wondered if he was allowed his own saber, crystals, but she didn’t have time to deliberate. 

He was a force to be reckoned with though. His attacks utilized his small size and the Force, a far cry from the style of his future self, all precise and calculating. Waves of pain and anger washed over her. She let it do just that: wash, and it didn’t hurt her. He occasionally shoved her in one direction or another, tripping her up if he had the chance.

She grinned. If she could get him on their side, he would be a good sparring partner; creative in a way that she wasn’t. She’d never had time to invent new moves, learning early on it was safer to rely on tried and true methods when her life was in danger. Either Maul hadn’t yet learned that lesson, or his situation encouraged such creativity. 

In the end, the fight was short and sweet. She’d walk home with several bruises, but Maul was in far worse condition. He wouldn’t have any scars, but there were several burns where her blade brushed his skin that would spend several weeks healing, and one sprained ankle where she kicked him. It was her blade hilt meeting his solar plexus and a Forceful suggestion to sleep that ended the fight. 

Picking the child up was easy as breathing. It appeared that Palpatine kept him just barely fed enough to sustain himself. Having slept hungry a few times, she could almost relate, but every time she went to sleep with hunger gnawing at her, she did so with the knowledge that soon, she’d be able to eat to her heart’s content. Maul didn’t have that.

She would need to fix that. He wouldn’t be able to walk anywhere without assistance for a while. Unfortunately, the Force was a kind of assistance. Walking on injured legs was a non-issue when you could ask the Force to act as splint  _ and _ a pain-reliever. 

\---

Maul dreamt of soft hands brushing over his scalp, friendly fighting and laughter. He dreamt of something he had no memory of. An older man putting him through the gentle beginnings of combat training. He learned to fight with a stick, a weak piece of wood that cracked in his hands, leaving splinters. The man helped him gently pull out the slivers.

Someone he didn’t recognize arrived, covered in far more clothing than Maul had seen on someone. She came with a baby. She left without the baby.

Maul dreamt of soothing a crying someone in the night, helping them sit for the first time. He dreamt of a young boy staring up at him with exactly two teeth and an emotion he couldn’t recognize.

He woke to an unfamiliar ship and a familiar woman. She was humming to herself, not focused on him at all. He shifted, and pain flared. He clenched his teeth.

She blinked at him. “You’re awake!” she said inanely. 

“What are those visions you made me see,” he demanded. He wouldn’t be manipulated. He had no family, not one that wanted him. 

The woman blinked and shrugged. “I was only projecting emotions, Maul,” her voice was condescending, infuriating. “Any memories you saw were your own.”

Maul clenched his teeth harder, not in pain this time, but in anger. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. My master saved me from a family that didn’t want me.”

Maul heard the story enough times to have it memorized word for word. Master had arrived on Dathomir to seek out the aid of the Nightsisters in learning a new way to use the Force. They agreed, but only if he took their problem child into his care.

Maul was only worth the knowledge Master learned in exchange. 

The woman shrugged. “I don’t know your life’s story. I know from experience that the Sith more often steal children than rescue them though.”

“Why have you taken me?”

She blinked. “Because I’ve seen firsthand the kind of damage the sith do, and I don’t think you deserve that.”

Maul grit his teeth and sat up. The woman tensed, and Maul followed suit. Would she attack him for sitting up in bed?

But then she visibly relaxed, though she kept her eye on him. When he tried to move his legs, one of his ankles flared in a different kind of pain as the rest of him.

“What are my injuries?” He didn’t expect an answer, but it was worth it to try and get answers.

To his surprise, she rattled off a few expected answers - burns he remembered receiving, a sprained ankle. She also said, “Abdominal bruising and whatever psychic injuries you’ve received. I’m not a psychic healer, so I haven’t been able to address those using the Force, though they’re bound to be there. We’ll have to do it the old fashioned way.”

Maul reared back. ‘Psychic injuries’? Merely weaknesses to be beat out through intense training. 

He was done entertaining this and reached out to the Force. The woman was clearly a force-user; perhaps a Jedi? Still, he should be able to defeat her with the element of surprise. 

He could at least try.

He commanded the Force to close around her neck; a delicate maneuver he had been unable to do in the fervor of battle. The woman’s eyes bulged, and her hand went to her neck, then -

\- then his hold on her dissipated. It simply… disappeared. Like water draining out of a cupped hand, any power he had over her switched sides. 

The woman stood up. “Let's get a few things straight,” she said, chin raised and looking down on him. “You are not a prisoner, but until I know you won’t hurt yourself or others, you are to be accompanied every time you leave the ship. You are allowed to use the Force. However -” and here she straight up glared at him, “If you use the Force to cause harm to anyone on this ship, directly or indirectly, you will find yourself facing the consequences.”

There was a long pause, and then she said, “Am I understood?”

Her words meant nothing to him, but he was clearly outmatched. He wouldn’t be able to fight his way out, so he’d have to use other tricks. Master had prepared him for this. Maul muttered, “yes.” 

The woman turned around and marched to the door, a strange stiffness to her actions. Before she left the room, she turned around - a full one-eighty degrees - and said, “Fulcrum, if you don’t remember.” Another one-eighty, and she was out of the room.

Taking the opportunity, he searched for injuries. His burns were all wrapped up in a gauze. A touch to one left him with the impression that there was some sort of topical medication underneath the bandages. His left leg was in a cast. Across his lower chest, right above his stomach, was the bruise he’d been told he’d find. It hurt like a bitch to press on it.

The remnants of sleep clung to his mind. For a moment, he wondered how she defeated him to leave him so tired. He shook the question off.

A ginger step told him that he couldn’t walk without assistance. He drew on the Force to dull the pain and turned away from the crutch perched on the wall by his bed.

The door opened to a short hallway. In one direction the hallway opened up into a living space. He turned and began walking. 

He was met by the sight of a child; a boy perhaps only a year or so older than him. Reddish hair was cut into a poof around his head, not quite long enough to weigh itself down. 

The boy looked afraid. Maul preened. 

“Hello,” the boy said. Maul didn’t respond. Instead, he glanced around. He couldn’t identify the type of ship this was. It must be brand new. That wasn’t good. He’d need time to learn his way around. 

“Do you… want something to eat?” The boy was trying so hard. Maul carefully didn’t sneer. “A - Fulcrum said you might be hungry when you woke up.”

Maul let the surprise show on his face. “Then why did she storm off instead of feeding me.” He didn’t let the question be a question. 

The boy shrugged. “She looked angry. She’s got a bit of a temper, so I assume she didn’t want to lash out at you.”

….what. Why wouldn’t she?

The boy dropped a packet in front of him, some sort of protein bar, and shrugged again at Maul’s look. “It’s not a hot meal but we’ll get some fresh food later on.”

He accepted the bar but didn’t eat it, instead tucking it away for later. 

That was… enough interaction for the day. Instead of exploring further, Maul returned to his room. 

For now, stashing the bar under the mattress would do, but he’d need to find a more clever hiding place before Fulcrum or whoever else was running around this ship found it. 

\---

There was a closet in his room. And a dresser. No bathroom, but it was expected that the ship would share bathrooms. If this ship was as small as he thought it was, there was likely only one. 

Both the closet and the dresser had clothes. Not many, and he wasn’t dumb enough to assume they were his. He had the pants he’d been kidnapped in, and that would be enough until he was able to return to Master.

To his disappointment, if not surprise, his lightsaber was gone. Fulcrum had insisted he wasn’t a prisoner, but he sure felt like it. No lightsaber, chaperones, restrictions on how he could use the Force.

Several hours after he retreated to his room, there was a knock on the door. Fulcrum’s voice came through: “Maul, please come to dinner. I want you to meet everyone.”

Maul blinked. “And what will you do if I don’t?”

“I’ll be disappointed.”

Maul blinked. She was fucking with him. 

He opened the door. Fulcrum smiled briefly and turned around, presumably leading him to the kitchen. She stopped in the middle of the hallway though. “Where’s your crutch?”

“I don’t need it.”

Fulcrum narrowed her eyes, “Yes you do. I know for a fact your sprain is bad enough to require a crutch.”

“And how do you know that,” Maul snapped.

“I know exactly how much damage I did to you,” she snapped right back, walking back to his room. She held it out to him until he took it.

He did so, snapping it out of her hands with a glare. He held it horizontally by his side the whole way to the living area. Fulcrum just sighed. 

Dinner was a hot something he didn’t recognize. He poked at it without eating it. Fulcrum rolled her eyes. “It’s not poisonous. Unless you have an allergy, it won’t hurt you.”

There were four settings at the table. The boy from earlier was there, already eating. 

Fulcrum asked, “Obi-Wan, have you introduced yourself?”

The boy shook his head and turned to Maul. “Hey,” he said, “I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi, Fulcrum’s padawan.”

He didn’t offer his hand, and Maul wondered why. Everyone else he had met had insisted he shake their hands. “Maul,” he offered.

Fulcrum seemed satisfied, and turned to Obi-Wan. “I’m going to find Rex. Don’t eat too fast.”

Then she left them alone together. 

She was clearly distrustful of him and knew him capable of killing someone, and yet she entrusted him with her child - or perhaps it was the other way around.

A minute passed in silence before Maul said, “So you guys are Jedi.”

He recognized the word ‘padawan.’ The Jedi were too pretentious to just use the word ‘apprentice’ and invented a new word for it. 

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Sorta,” he offered.

Fulcrum returned then, with an older man, perhaps in his thirties. They sat at the two other open seats. The other man turned to him. “Hey kid, I’m Rex.”

Rex offered his hand. Maul stared at it warily, then turned back to his food without shaking it. He sensed Rex turn to Fulcrum, who shrugged. 

The first bite of food was… impressive. Some flavor he couldn’t identify coated something chewy, but it didn’t kill him, so he ate more.

No one spoke over the tense dinner. He ate half of it then retreated to his room, leaving the crutch at the table. 

\--

He was woken up in the morning by more knocking. He opened the door to Obi-Wan, clutching his crutch. The boy looked over Maul, and said, “You know you have more clothes than just a pair of pants?”

Maul just stared at the boy, who held out the crutch awkwardly. “You left this at the table yesterday.” 

“I know,” Maul said, not moving. Obi-Wan shifted and set it down by the door.

“Do you want breakfast?”

Maul thought it over. He would dumb to deny food when it was offered to him, so accepted even though he wasn’t really hungry. 

Obi-Wan said, almost apologetically, “We usually have a cold breakfast,” when they reached the kitchen. Some sort of dry cereal was handed to him in a bowl along with a spoon. Maul, once again, poked at it a bit.

“We threw out everything that Zabracks can’t eat,” Obi-Wan offered. Maul just stared at him a bit more, let the boy think he was helping.

Maul ate most of the cereal, leaving only a few kernels on the bottom of the bowl. Obi-Wan smiled.

“What do you do most of the day?” he asked. There couldn’t be much to do on this ship beyond staring at space whipping by them. 

“Study,” Obi-Wan said, “Or when Fulcrum or Rex are up to it, lightsaber practice.”

“Study what?”

Obi-Wan’s eyes lit up. “Well, my teachers have me reading up on current events and such. I’m meant to correlate current trends with historical ones to predict the outcomes of certain events. It’s not much, since I’m not able to attend class right now, but it’s really interesting.”

With nothing else to do, Maul said, “Show me?”

Obi-Wan grinned and began to drag him to another room. Maul stumbled and winced as the pain shot right through the dampener he’d put on his ankle. Obi-Wan stopped, and said, “Sorry,” then he disappeared, reappearing two second later with his crutch.

Maul turned his nose up at it. “I don’t need that,” he said. 

“You do,” Obi-Wan insisted. “We’re not going anywhere unless you use it.”

“Then I guess we’re gonna be here a while.”

They were there for a while. Ahsoka stepped out of the hallway into the kitchen and stared. Both boys were fast asleep on the floor, Maul’s crutch on the floor between them. She grinned and snapped a picture, sending it to Rex in case one of them found out and deleted it. 

“Wake up,” she said gently. Maul snapped awake, standing quickly and facing her. Obi-Wan didn’t. In fact, he only snored more. Ahsoka laughed gently and nudged the boy’s shoulder. “Obi-Wan, it’s way past lunch time.” 

It was, in fact, almost dinnertime. She could hear Obi-Wan’s stomach complaining about missing lunch, even in his sleep. She shook him a bit harder and he blinked blearily. 

“Wake up dummy. You slept right through lunch.”

“Hm..” Obi-Wan said. 

Ahsoka left him there to wake up on his own. He needed the time, she’d found. Instead, she grabbed two snack bars and handed them over to the boys. They shouldn’t eat until dinnertime and this should tide them over.

Obi-Wan opened his without opening his eyes, but Maul stuffed his in his pants - the same pants as he was wearing yesterday and the ones he’d been wearing when she nabbed him. 

“You know, you can wear any of the clothes in your room,” she offered. “And we can wash your old ones.”

Maul stared at her. She sighed and handed him his crutch. 

He grabbed it and stalked off to his room, still not using. She shot a glance at Obi-Wan. “He says he doesn’t need it, but he fell earlier today.”

Ashoka bit her lip. “That’s not good. He’s only injuring it further.” 

“He’s a sith. Don’t they draw power from pain and anger and,” he flapped his hand, “i dunno, bad things?”

Ahsoka blinked. “Yeah, but he’s also a kid. He’s younger than you… I’d hoped we’d gotten him soon enough to prevent those messages from sinking it, but from what he’s said to me…”

“What did he say?”

“He implied that he has no memory of life before Sidious.”

Obi-Wan looked down the hallway. “That’s not good.”

Ahsoka sighed. “Come on, you’re helping me with dinner.”

\---

“Where’s that Silurian pasty stuff?”

“Hmm?” Ahsoka looked up from her current task: cutting the veggies.

“I don’t remember what it’s called but it goes great with this so I thought I’d make the,,, uhh, Silurian-style meat and veggies.”

It was a good idea; a delicious meal that she’d developed a taste for, and depending on what other seasonings one used, it could be spicy or sweet or savory. “Here,” she held the knife out for Obi-Wan, “Let me see if I can find it.”

She rummaged through the pantry, but it was gone - not behind or under anything. It had been their last jar too, so she couldn’t grab another out of the storage bay.

“I guess we don’t have any,” she said, “I suppose we’ll have to cook this differently.”

Obi-Wan had finished cutting the veggies, so Ahsoka grabbed a pan out. Their new ship had been equipped with cold storage, but only a heater as far as cooking went, so she and Rex had decided to invest in a tabletop stove.

It had been a long time since they ate anything baked, but it wasn’t too bad. They had some flavored oil, not too spicy but with a strong taste. Obi-Wan handed it to her at her instruction, and sat back to observe. One of the first things she’d decided on was teaching everyone to cook as needed. Rex didn’t need any instruction; they’d fumbled their way to being decent cooks in the five years alone after the war. But Obi-Wan likely didn’t know much about cooking, and she doubted Maul would either. 

“If he doesn’t remember life before Sidious, then that means he only knows abuse,” Obi-Wan said. Ahsoka cursed as she accidentally flicked the spatula and oil onto her arm. Obi-Wan winced. “Sorry.”

She sighed. “Yes it does.”

“What does that mean?”

It took her a long time to figure out how to answer Obi-Wan. “It means… he’ll have some strange ideas of what’s okay and what’s not. He may try to emulate Sidious. On the flip side, he’ll likely expect us to harm him when he messes up, or even no reason at all.”

“So…” Obi-Wan trailed off, and Ahsoka filled in the blanks. “If he messes up or gets angry at you, be patient. At the same time, don’t allow him to walk all over you. I’ve already set up clear boundaries, but he needs to know that those boundaries are to be respected.”

“And we’ll respect his, obviously.” 

Ahsoka nodded, stirring the pan one last time before deeming the food done. “Yes.”

“Why did you storm out of his room yesterday?”

“He tried to use the Force to choke me. Can you go bring him and Rex to dinner please?”

“This is a really strange conversation.” Obi-Wan said, before dashing out of the kitchen.

Ahsoka rolled her eyes.

\----

The two of them had been trying to manage a better sleep schedule. In the five years since the war ended, they’d had to be up and ready and to go any time of the day, and it really fucked up their sleep schedule. 

Rex had an alarm set; it made a crooning sound that gradually increased in volume. He’d learned the hard way that anything else set off his fight or flight and only kept him up longer. 

It was strange, then, when Ahsoka wandered into his room an hour after the alarm went off. He wasn’t asleep, not even close, but he’d been making an effort. The Kaminoans had made him resistant to drugs, and common sleep aids were basically ineffective, so he had to do it the hard way. 

“Rex,” she said. He made a humming sound. “It’s been a week since we brought Maul on board and he hasn’t tried to escape once.”

“Indeed,” he said, “I’m almost impressed.”

She rolled her eyes fondly, barely visible in the low light, and sat on his bed. He could reach her leg without straining. “Anyways, I’m thinking that he’s probably cooped up here. I know Obi-Wan is, though he won’t say it.”

“You want to take them out somewhere,” he said. She nodded.

“To do what? We don’t need to do a resupply and it may be too soon to appear with a young zabrack kid. Sidious’ll be looking for him.”

“I know,” she said, “I agree with you on all those points. I just feel like it’s going to be detrimental to building a relationship with either of them to keep them here without room to just… enjoy life.”

Rex nodded. “That’s true. Maul’s probably never had a chance to enjoy life in the first place.”

“Exactly,” her voice was a little quiet and a little sad. Sometimes, Rex thought about the life Maul had lived - both this one and the last - and was bowled over by the tragedy of it, and how easily one could create a monster out of a hurting child. 

With luck, they would be able to reverse the damage Sidious had done on this kid.

“Do we have the funds to be able to afford going out?”

It was a non-question, really. They spent only cash to leave less of a trail, and thus knew exactly how much they had at the end of each day. 

They didn’t have an “entertainment” category in their budget. Rex thought, with two kids on board, maybe they should invest in one. 

Ahsoka voiced the same thing. “We have some money in savings. I’d rather not spend that. I think I’ll talk to Obi-Wan about what he wants to do, things he used to do with his friends, and we’ll see if we can fit that kind of stuff into our budget.”

Rex bit his lip. They’d had conversations in the past about how it seemed like they just took Obi-Wan away from his friends. But the boy knew that he could leave whenever, so they tried not to beat themselves up over it. Still, it would be good to know that he was making friends, even if it was an ex-Sith apprentice they’d kidnapped.

“Do you ever look at our lives and think “what the fuck”,” he asked. Ahsoka laughed. “All the time.”

“So,” Rex said, “What are you thinking?”

She smirked, said, “I have an idea,” and walked out of his room without so much as a by-your-leave.

“Kriffing mystic jedi kark,” he muttered and turned over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another monster. Comments are welcome!

He was on food duty the next week, which meant he also had to make sure everyone turned up the different mealtimes. Breakfast was easy - both Ahsoka and Obi-Wan tended to be up and ready by the time he was done. Then it was just a matter of getting Maul up. 

So far, the task of waking the boy up had always fallen to Ahsoka or Obi-Wan. Rex figured maybe he should give it a go. 

A knock on the door had it sliding open, as though he was waiting to be called on. Rex blinked. “Have you been waiting for us to come get you?”

Maul’s eyes narrowed. “Of course. Since when do you come get me?”

“Since today,” Rex said, “It’s breakfastime. You know you’re allowed to come out of your room before that, right?”

“Sure,” Maul muttered. He started to make his way down the hall, limping ever so slightly, and Rex sighed. He ducked into the bedroom for a second to grab the crutch and held it out to the boy. Maul scowled.

“I don’t need that,” he said.

“You do need it. Actually, you know,” Rex chirped, feeling positively gleeful, “You wouldn’t at all anymore if you’d just been using it the past week.” 

Maul muttered something under his break. Rex didn’t quite catch it, but Maul snatched the crutch and - to Rex’s surprise - actually began using it.

He suppressed a smile. Throughout the past week, all three of them had gotten into the habit of shoving the thing at Maul whenever they caught him without it. Obi-Wan once snatched it out of Maul’s hand and manhandled the boy into sticking it under his harm. It didn’t stay there, but the holo Ahsoka had shown him later that night was delightful.

At breakfast, Rex hung back and allowed the other three to talk; Ahsoka was planning to actually begin teaching the boys now, something that Rex wasn’t really privy too, being the only non-sensitive on the ship.

“Maul,” he said when everyone seemed to be done eating, “Will you help me with the dishes?”

Maul scowled at him but complied, which honestly surprised Rex. They hadn’t asked much of the boy the past week, choosing to let him settle in before handing out a few simple chores. Obi-Wan already helped cook several nights out of the week and cleaned up after dinner. 

He realized why Maul was scowling thirty seconds later, when he stared baffled at a sponge. Rex took a deep breath in and held it for a moment. 

“Here,” he said, “let me show you.” 

The process of cleaning the dishes was fairly simple, but five years ago he’d stared at a dishrag the exact same way while Commander Tano laughed at him. 

He handed the sponge back to Maul. “You clean, I’ll put them away, okay?”

It took longer than if Rex had been doing the dishes by himself, but it was a good learning experience for the boy. 

“Does she know that I already know how to meditate?”

Rex hummed inquisitively. Maul continued - “Master already taught me to meditate, I don’t need a Jedi coming in and teaching it to me all over again.”

“Have you told her that?”

Maul glanced at him, considering. Rex wondered what he was thinking. “And besides, the way lightsiders and darksiders use the Force is fundamentally different. Maybe you’ll learn something.”

Maul’s expression, for so little that leaked through before, shuttered. “Perhaps,” he said. 

Before Maul could leave for the lesson he wouldn’t pay any attention to, Rex spoke up. “You know how the Force can guide you to do something?”

Maul blinked. “The Force is a tool to be wielded.”

And, well. Rex had seen the Force used like that. The Generals and even Ahsoka used it as a tool, but they’d also treated it - almost like a friend. 

“It can be, but…” he realized he didn’t quite have the vocabulary to explain it to Maul. He didn’t even have the experience. “As an outsider looking in, I would say the Force can be a tool and a friend. It can be just about anything.”

Maul said, very matter of fact, “The only reason I’m listening to this is because Fulcrum would murder me for making you stop.” 

Rex smirked. “Depends how you made me stop. Unless you killed me, you’d probably be fine. Eventually.” 

“Thanks.”

He decided the best way to make his point was to say it exactly as he knew. “Look, of all the Force-users I’ve known? The most powerful are the ones that treat the Force like a friend. I’ve heard them refer to it as their ally. They respect it and it’s wishes, and in return, they’re all incredibly powerful. And they manage to become that powerful without needing to or feeling the need to hurt or assert power over anyone.”

At Maul’s flat look, Rex said, “When you first woke up, you tried to choke Fulcrum. You tried to kill her. Instead, she calmed herself and effortlessly broke your hold on her.”

Maul very clearly didn’t like the reminder. Rex plowed on. “How do you think she did that?”

The boy said nothing. Rex merely gathered the silverware and began drying. By the time everything was in its place, Maul was gone.

\----

Lunch was just the three of them. Ahsoka was tense and Obi-Wan was… nervous. They waited all of ten minutes before Rex said, “So, any reason Maul is absent?”

“He didn’t want to absorb the lesson. I planned to start with the basics and work our way up, but he didn’t want to do it the Jedi way. I know I shouldn’t expect him to, but I had hoped he’d… at least be capable of it. Before I could try to figure out another way to do it, that Maul could follow, he got… jealous, maybe? And stormed out.”

Rex glanced at Obi-Wan, who shrugged. “He seemed to be really interested in my academic lessons and assignments, and he seems to have a natural talent. It’s strange to have him act like this during a lesson.”

Rex nodded. He didn’t speak until lunch was over, when he said, “Is there an assignment you want me to bring him?”

Ahsoka looked up from her food. “Ask him to try to explain his current meditation method in writing. If I can understand how he does it, it would be easier to figure out how to do it in a way he can get.” 

Rex nodded and grabbed the uneaten plate.

Maul was, indeed, sulking in his room. When Rex knocked on the door, there was the sound of shuffling on the other side and it took a good minute before Maul opened the door, unlike that morning. Rex held the food out, halfway a peace offering. 

“I heard you weren’t able to grasp this morning’s lesson.”

Maul sneered. “Don’t remind me,” he said. 

Obi-Wan shrugged. “Sure. Fulcrum told me to ask you to write down how you meditate though. She thinks if she can understand how you do it, she can help you understand how she does it.”

“What’s the point? It’s all the same anyways.”

Rex stood there a moment. “If the dark side draws on negative things like pain and hate, and the light side draws on things like compassion and peace, then I’d say there’s a huge difference. Do you know how to love unconditionally?”

Maul stared at the floor. Rex shrugged and turned to go. “It seems to me that you might need to figure out your emotions before you begin to figure out the Force.”

Maul snapped, “How do you know so much about the Force? You’re not sensitive!”

“No,” Rex said, “I’m not. But I’ve lived with Force-sensitives a lot. I’m just repeating the things they told me and passing on observations I’ve made.”

The door closed without an answer from Maul. Rex walked out of the hallway. He had little to do that day and figured he would watch Ahsoka’s lesson with Obi-Wan to kill a few hours. 

They were going through some katas with deactivated lightsabers. It was the forms Rex remembered Master Kenobi going through with a young Commander Tano. He smiled nostalgically. “Jar’kai?”

Ahsoka flashed a grin. “You know it. We’re just getting a feel for it right now. If Obi-Wan likes it…”

Obi-Wan finished his kata and said, “It’s fun. I dunno if I want to continue learning it just yet, but I like it.”

Rex nodded to the blasters they kept in the designated gym area for practice. “You’re gonna teach him Soresu as well, right?”

Ahsoka rolled her eyes. “Duh,” she turned to Obi-Wan, “You will master Soresu. Sorry, but it’s saved my life too many times for you to not learn it.”

Obi-Wan nodded. 

Ahsoka put him through a few more katas, more basic ones this time where he didn’t need the instruction, really, just the practice. Rex and Ahsoka stood on the sidelines, watching him. 

“What about Maul,” he muttered. 

Ahsoka shrugged. “He’s not a bad kid. A little messed up from his upbringing, but nothing that can’t either be fixed with time or that will prevent him from living in society. At the moment, though, I’m not sure I trust him with a lightsaber.”

“‘A little messed up’?” Rex parroted, wondering exactly what she meant.

“He’s absorbed some terrible lessons, he’s got some bad ideas about what a healthy society looks like. That kind of thing can spread to interpersonal connections and such, and may manifest as a mental illness of some sort. But people all over the place have mental illnesses and they deal with it, and sometimes they recover. So he might be able to recover, and he might have to deal with his issues, and it’ll probably be a little bit of both, but I don’t think Sidious has done irreparable damage.”

Rex blinked. “You signed us up to become parents,” he informed her. The idea had been settling at the back of his mind for a few days as he noticed their priorities shifting from the mission to the kids. And - when they returned to Manda’yaim - it wouldn’t really be a question about it. They both left with one ad, and returned with two.. They still chased their mission, but these boys were just as important - even the one that apparently was willing to kill them.

Ahsoka bit her lip. “I hadn’t quite thought of it like that. Is it too much for you? I wasn’t really intending to put you in this situation, I can handle it alone.”

“No you can’t,” Rex retorted. “You’re twenty-two. You’ve just adopted two kids only ten years younger than you and you don’t have an entire society to hold you up when you get down. You’re gonna need all the help you can get.”

She looked away and Rex softened. “It’s fine. I may not know what we’re getting into, but I’ll be fine. And besides, I did sign up to follow you around.”

Obi-Wan finished his katas and Ahsoka went on to have him work on the next hardest set. This time, she put all her focus on Obi-Wan - if he messed up, she needed to fix it before it became ingrained in him to do it wrong. Rex wandered back towards Maul’s room. 

Knocking on the food, he said, “It’s Rex. Do you want to help me make dinner?”

Rex began to turn to leave when it became clear there would be no answer, but the door whooshed open behind him. 

“You would let me near your food?”

“I’ll be watching you,” Rex said, “Since I don’t know how well you know how to cook. But if you’re worried that I’m afraid you’ll poison us, I’ll have you know that it would be difficult for you to do that when I control the food supply.”

“I could stab you with a kitchen knife.”

“You could snap my neck with the Force. What’s your point?”

Maul shuffled out of his room. At Rex’s deadpan look, he huffed and grabbed his crutch. Rex smiled. 

\----

Maul… did not know how to cook. The boy grabbed a knife and the veggies and stared at the cutting board for a long minute. Rex said, gently, “Have you ever tried to cook before?”

“I am above cooking my own food,” he said.

Rex turned the heat off the stove and gently removed the knife from Maul’s hand. “Watch me carefully,” he said as he cut the thing in half. Maul did so, watching what Rex did - the way he held his fingers so he wouldn’t cut himself, his grip on the knife, the shapes he cut his half into. He was quiet and didn’t ask questions, so Rex hoped he was explaining everything correctly. He finished his impromptu lesson with, “Once you get good enough at cutting veggies, you can start speeding up. Some chefs can go so fast you can’t see the knife, only hear the chopping noises.”

Rex returned to the stirfry, adding in the half of the veggies he’d already started. Since the pan was cold, he wouldn’t have to worry about overcooking them; by the time they started cooking, Maul’s half should be done. 

Rex kept his eye on the boy while he gently stirred the food. Maul’s chopping was slow and… choppy, but his slices were even in shape. He’d found a way to keep the previous slice attached to his knife so he could line it up with the next slice. 

Maul finished the veggies and Rex took the board to add the second half. “Why don’t you grab some of the milk? I just need a little splash.”

The boy came back and Rex did add the little splash. As the boy walked away to put it back in the cooler, Rex said, “Have you made any headway on your homework?”

The tension rose so quickly Rex thought he might suffocate. Then his airway opened back up and Maul said, “I didn’t mean to do that.”

Rex thought he should leave the topic of homework to Ahsoka. She, at least, wouldn’t be helpless the next time Maul lost his temper.

“Okay,” he said. “But I’m going to have to tell Fulcrum it happened.”

This time, the rising tension didn’t take his breath away. 

Maul said, strained, “What will the punishment be?”

Rex was… at a loss. On the one hand, punishment for losing one’s temper usually involved long and boring work. On the other hand, Maul’s temper had the added effect of influencing the Force. Rex had no idea what Jedi considered a proper punishment for such a thing, but it likely was nothing like the way the Kaminoans handled clones, or the way the GAR operated. And on yet a third hand, Sidious’ “punishments” were likely a form of torture. What was Maul thinking they’d do to him, now that he’d broken the rules? He said, “I’m not entirely sure. I don’t know what Force-sensitives consider a proper response to a loss of control.”

Maul muttered back, “Great.”

Part of Rex felt bad for the boy. He was still just a child, and his and Ahsoka’s earlier conversation drifted into his mind. They had basically decided they would try and help Maul unlearn the toxic lessons he’d learned so far. 

“It can wait until after dinner,” he said. “Fulcrum will either tell you what she thinks later tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Maul nodded. Rex thought he caught a flash of bafflement from the boy, but it was gone so quickly he couldn’t be certain. 

“Do you remember where I put the dishes this morning?”

Maul nodded.

“Can you please set the table? I’ll be right out with the food.” 

Rex realized he hadn’t quite thought the request all the way through when he got to witness Maul struggle to hold the dishes in one hand, crutch in the other. Then he lost his balance and the dishes came crashing down - but at the lack of a clatter, or worse, crash, he opened his eyes from his instinctive flinch. The dishes were hovering inches off the floor, and Maul’s hand was flung out in their direction. 

Rex quickly grabbed the dishes and set them on the counter. He began to apologise for not thinking, but Maul beat him to it. “I suppose you’ll have to tell Fulcrum about that too?”

Rex blinked. “Tell her what? That you can use the Force?”

When Maul just stared at him, Rex said, “We already knew that.”

“But…” Maul said weakly.

Rex softened. He’d been doing that a lot, lately. “You’re allowed to use the Force. And I’m sorry for asking you to set the table, I should have realized it would be difficult to do with only one hand.”

Maul didn’t say anything. Rex grabbed the dishes and began setting the table, letting Maul stew in his thoughts. Before he left to go get Ahsoka and Rex, he guided the boy to his seat.

Dinner was over quickly - Maul didn’t eat much (which Rex was noticing with growing concern) and Obi-Wan was hungry enough to finish his plate within only a few minutes. “May I be excused,” Obi-Wan said. Ahsoka began to say something, but Rex cut her off.

“Of course,” he said. Maul stood up alongside Obi-Wan. Rex decided he didn’t quite mind it.

They watched the boys leave and Ahsoka turned to Rex inquisitively. He sighed.

“While cooking dinner…” he had to pause for a second. This was a situation where the incorrect phrasing could lead to the wrong conclusion. “I brought up Maul’s homework. Things got tense, and, well… I didn’t notice it, but he’d been somehow restricting my air.” Ahsoka’s face, inscrutable until then, went through a flurry of emotion before landing on angry. Rex hastened to continue. “It wasn’t a Force-choke, it was something else. But it was clearly an accident on his part and he apologized immediately after.”

Ahsoka blinked. “He apologized?”

“Well,” Rex amended, “It was more like ‘I didn’t mean to do that,’ but I took it as an apology.”

Ahsoka nodded. “Do you know why?”

When it became clear he didn’t quite understand her question, she clarified: “Did he apologize because he thought he would be punished or was it genuine?”

“Ah,” Rex said, because he hadn’t really thought about that. “His next question was about punishment, so I assume it was the former.”

She sighed. “Then that means I  _ should _ punish him somehow. He could have hurt you. But…” 

“He lost control,” Rex interjected, “Like he was angry, but he didn’t really choose to hurt me, you know?”

“Right, I guessed that. I think, we should. Hmm.”

She was quiet for a long time, contemplating things while they ate. Rex let her sit in silence.

“I think I know what to do,” she said as they were cleaning up the dishes. She didn’t elaborate further.

The next morning, Maul was forbidden from leaving their meditation session when he got frustrated. Instead, Ahsoka made her guesses about what Maul had been taught and attempted to work around it and ease him into a peaceful meditation, as opposed to whatever he’d been doing before. From what Rex could tell, it sort of worked.

Obi-Wan offered to make lunch and Rex let him. The boy had been alone the entire morning while Ahsoka worked with Maul. 

After lunch, Ahsoka and Maul went off on their own again, leaving Obi-Wan and Rex alone. 

“I’m going to work through some katas. Will you spot me?” Obi-Wan asked. Rex nodded and followed him to the gym. 

In the middle of a kata, Obi-Wan spoke, startling Rex. Since when did Jedi speak in the middle of practice?

“Do you know what Maul did to warrant Ahsoka’s attention like this?”

Rex hummed. “Yes, but I’m not going to tell you.” 

Obi-Wan pouted. 

“What are they working on,” Rex asked. For all that he hadn’t pushed Ahsoka, preferring to allow her to deal with Force-stuff, he was curious.

“I dunno,” Obi-Wan said, “Temper control? Or maybe not allowing your emotions to affect your actions? He musta done something, got angry or something, cause this is new.”

Rex nodded. That made sense, and made him feel a lot better about the situation. Maul needed to know there were consequences for his actions, but first he needed control over said actions and somehow Rex didn’t think the Sith would teach accountability.

Obi-Wan continued his katas, with Rex occasionally pointing out when something looked wrong.

\----

It came after two more weeks. Maul had slipped up a few times, his temper getting the better of him, but for the most part, he was a decent kid.

It unnerved Rex. The grown Maul had  _ issues _ , deep rooted issues. The kind that were instilled at birth and only reinforced over his life.

He and Ahsoka had begun anticipating the inevitable backlash; the moment that Maul finally snapped. They’d been preparing for it.

So when Ahsoka set Maul up with some work while she focused on Obi-Wan, and Maul began shouting - and then using the Force - Rex was prepared.

First, he dragged Obi-Wan out of the room. The boy may be the older of the two, but he was still only thirteen and had issues of his own that were being addressed. In fact, Ahsoka occasionally included Obi-Wan in the lessons with temperament, whenever she felt they were necessary.

Rex also had plenty of experience controlling his anger. He’d seen the people he loved killed without remorse, abused and cast aside like some mindless droid - he’d seen  _ droids _ treated better than his brothers. Every time the tragedy of their fucking lives caught up with him, he had to resist the urge to beat up nearest non-vod - usually the General or the Commander. 

Since it was usually neither of their faults, he’d taught himself to let it go, if he couldn’t get to the shooting range to destroy a target. Deep breath in-hold-out. Repeat until he could focus without his anger overwhelming him.

Obi-Wan, apparently, already knew that trick. Re-centering ones’ self is the basis of meditation, after all. Rex wondered if he could benefit from it. 

Once he knew Obi-Wan was out of harm’s way, he returned to the gym. Maul was still railing on Ahsoka. She’d allowed him to borrow her saber for practice, and was, perhaps, regretting it. Maul was vicious. With the way that Ahsoka had to continually step out of his reach or avoid invisible obstacles, it was a wonder she was still on her feet. 

It took Rex too long to realize she was going easy on him, and he only noticed because he’d seen her fight. At fourteen, she’d fought The General Grievous, and while she didn’t win, she walked away with her life, which was more than some Jedi could say. She’d continually improved herself over the years, and what she was currently doing was far weaker than her top form.

But Maul was giving his all. His expression was twisted into anger, and even Rex could feel the sheer rage emanating from him. He didn’t let up, didn’t back down. Ahsoka’s attacks were few and far between. She was merely blocking him - letting him tire himself out. 

Ahsoka turned her head towards him. She wasn’t giving him much attention, directing the rest of her focus on the fight, but there a glitter in her eye told Rex everything he needed to know. Drawing a gun, he aimed it at Maul. It was already on the lowest setting, so that it would sting Maul but leave no lasting damage. He fired, and he could see the moment Maul realized he had another opponent. The white blade caught the shot, energy dissipating on the saber rather than reflecting. Ahsoka directed the fight to him. The two of them were more formidable together, and Maul would likely feel better about losing if it was to the two of them.

They weaved in and out of each other’s way, not giving Maul an opening. The boy’s moves became lethargic, slower to jab, slower to block. One shot slipped past him, then another, then another. Ahsoka’s jabs began doing more damage, heat raising the boy’s skin where she skimmed over the top of it - though never making contact.

Finally, Maul collapsed, and the emotion pouring off of him wasn’t rage - it was anguish.

_ “Why,” _ he screamed at them. “ _ Why did you take me? _ ”

Ahsoka cautiously approached him. She gently pried the lightsaber from his grip and sat in front of him. 

“A long time ago,” she started, and stopped. She met Rex’s eyes and he  _ knew _ what she was talking about. He nodded his permission, sitting next to her.

“A long time ago,” he said, “We encountered a Sith.”

Maul’s head shot up, and Rex continued, “Or, I guess, he wasn’t a Sith. You see, your master had sent him on a mission, and he failed, and he was cast aside in preference for another.”

Ahsoka tilted her head towards him, and Rex held back a smirk. She could argue the Force side of things, he could do the personal attacks. She said, “I didn’t meet the man for a long time. For a while, we thought he was dead. My master’s master had supposedly killed him. Then, the Sith returned and began hunting people.”

And she spoke, telling Maul about the tragedy that could be his future, though the boy didn’t know it. With every word, Maul seemed to hunch in on himself. Rex wasn’t quite sure if they were helping or not. 

“When’s the last time you saw him,” Maul muttered. 

“When we were betrayed by our family, I set him free to cause a distraction. He stole our escape from right under us and left us to die.”

The flash of concern - brief as a green sky on Kamino - lightened Rex’s heart. Perhaps the boy had come to care about them. It was certainly better than not caring about anything.

“And we’re all we’ve had since. Until we met Obi-Wan, and heard about you, and decided we needed to help you. You don’t deserve to be treated in such a way. Nobody does,” Rex said.

But then Maul’s face crumpled in grief and Rex jerked in shock - then panic. Ahsoka’s face betrayed nothing, but somehow he knew she was freaking out as well. 

She reached out, but didn’t touch him, just left the option open. “What is it?”

“If no one deserves it, then why did my master treat me that way?”

Ahsoka mouthed ‘oh,’ and Rex relaxed. He said, “Sometimes people are wrong. Sometimes, they’re horrible. Sometimes, horrible people escape consequences and manage to do horrible things, all without anyone else knowing. It’s not right.”

“This entire time, you’ve never punished me,” Maul said, and Rex knew this was the beginning of a ramble. “I’ve hurt you and tried to kill you and you never  _ did _ anything and even now you had to take Obi-Wan away so I wouldn’t hurt him but instead of punishing me, you’re helping me.”

Ahsoka interrupted the boy’s spiral. “Maul, I don’t know what you think constitutes as a punishment, but your actions have had consequences. When you lose control, all I ask for is an apology, and that’s enough. If you hurt someone, you make it up to them. And if it’s because of something you can’t control, I add it to your lessons, so that you can learn to control it. Whatever your master has been teaching you, it’s not right.”

Maul chewed his lip. “So the extra assignments? Not allowing me into the gym? Those are your punishments?”

Ahsoka nodded. Rex wondered what kinds of punishments Sidious had handed out and shuddered. They can’t have been good. Rex picked up her hand, squeezing tightly at the thought. She squeezed back. 

“What about today,” Maul said, “Will I be punished for this?”

Ahsoka turned to Rex, question in her eyes. Rex didn’t say anything, thinking, then shook his head. She turned back to Maul. “No, no punishment.” 

Maul looked astonished - absolutely baffled. Ahsoka continued, “I do, however, want you to apologize to Obi-Wan for scaring him and for any harm you may have caused him, however unintentionally.”

Maul nodded. 

Rex thought they’d be having more conversations like this in the future.

**Author's Note:**

> I started working on another series I recently got inspired to do and that one's way angstier (been a while since i drove myself to tears) so my angst fans out there can look forward to that


End file.
